Skin application structure for robots and a robot having such a structure

ABSTRACT

A skin application structure for bodies that gives a sense of closeness to human, does not cause damage to the surrounding environment, is easily maintained, and does not exert any load to the movable portion is provided. A flexible skin is detachably applied on the surface of the casings of the body including movable portions and immovable portions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This Application claims the benefit of JP 315,521/2001 filed Oct.12, 2001 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a skin application structure forrobots and a robot having such a structure in the shape of animals,plants, insects, and tentacles regardless of reality or unreality, andbeing used in a human-centered environment such as a factory or a home.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0003] Since the robot in the related art exposes the outer surface ofits casing formed of metal or resin, when it falls down or runs intosomething, it may injure or cause damage to the surrounding objects orhuman. In addition, since the casing or the mechanical element isexposed, the appearance is crude and harsh to the touch, and thus itdoes not give a sense of closeness and warmth. Even when it had ahigh-quality finished form and made various actions to shorten mentaldistance to humans, there were many women and aged persons who did notshow any interest in the robot that exposes the casing or the mechanism.

[0004] There are animal toys having a soft skin like a stuffed animalapplied thereon. However, when such a skin is applied on the robot,maintenance of the robot cannot be conducted. In addition, the skin ofthe stuffed animal applied to the robot body exerts too much load on themovable portion thereof, which disadvantageously results in reducing thedriving force.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to providea skin application structure for robots and a robot having the samestructure which gives a sense of closeness and warmth to humans, doesnot cause damage to the surrounding environment, is easily maintained,and does not exert any load on the movable portion.

[0006] In order to solve the problems described above, according to theinvention, a flexible skin is detachably applied to the surface of thecasing of the robot body including a movable portion and an immovableportion.

[0007] Since the skin is applied to the surface of the casing of therobot body, and thus the casing and the mechanical elements are covered,it gives a sense of closeness and warmth to humans and does not causedamage to the surrounding environment. Since the skin is detachablydesigned, it can be removed from the casing for maintenance services,which allows easy and occasional maintenance. Further, since the skinhas flexibility, it does not exert too much load on the movable portion,which prevents the reduction of the driving force.

[0008] The flexible skin is preferably formed of material selected froma group including cloth fabric, natural fur, artificial fur, sponge andelastomer. These materials have suitable resilience and good texture,and give a sense of closeness and warmth to humans.

[0009] Applying the elastic skin on the movable portion of the robotbody and non-elastic skin on the immovable portion of the same allowsfurther reduction of the load on the movable portion. In the case of ananimal robot, for example, the movable portion includes the joints offour limbs, the neck and the tail. The immovable portion of the animalrobot is the body.

[0010] Preferably, the separable members separated from the casing ofthe robot body are fixed on the inner surface of the skin, and then theseparable members are joined to the corresponding portions of the casingwhen applying the skin to the casing of the robot body. The separableportions here include, in the care of the animal robot, for example, theface portion of the head or tiptoes of the four limbs. Fixing separablemembers on the inner surface of the skin prevents displacement of theskin at the face portion of the head and tiptoe portions of the fourlimbs in the case of the animal robot.

[0011] Securing the joints between the separable members and thecorresponding portions on the casing by means of members constituting apart of the limbs of the robot body inserted from the outside of theskin is preferable in the respect that the attachment can be doneeasily. The members constituting a part of the limbs of the robot bodyare, in the animal robot, pads on the tiptoes of four limbs.

[0012] Preferably, a connecting portion is provided on the movableportion provided on the separable member and a driving portion fordriving the movable portion is provided on the casing, so that theconnecting portion of the movable portion is joined to the drivingportion when the separable member is joined to the corresponding portionon the casing. This arrangement allows proximity of the movable portionto the skin, and ensures transmission of the power of the drivingportion to the movable portion via the connecting portion. The movableportion of the separable member here includes ears on the head, upperand lower eyelids on the face, and lower jaw, for example, in the caseof the animal robot.

[0013] Preferably, a fixture is attached on the inner surface of theskin with a flexible thread member of a prescribed length so that thefixture can be secured in the corresponding retaining portion on thecasing when the skin is applied on the casing of the robot body. Thisarrangement allows movement of the skin with respect to the casing ofthe robot body for providing mobility of the skin.

[0014] Preferably, an elastic pad is adhered on the surface of thecasing and the skin is applied on the pad. This arrangement givesroundness and elasticity to the skin, thus more lifelike feeling to theshape of the limbs is achieved, and pleasant touch for rubbing andhugging is realized.

[0015] The skin application structure constructed as described above ispreferably applied to animal robots, especially for example, to cats orfoxes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cat robotaccording to the invention, showing the robot body through the skin;

[0017]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the robot body shown inFIG. 1;

[0018]FIG. 3 is an enlarged and exploded perspective view of the headportion shown in FIG. 2;

[0019]FIG. 4 is a side view of a mask assembly of the head portion shownin FIG. 3;

[0020]FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a pair of eye subassemblies to bemounted on the mask assembly shown in Pi cj. 3, when viewed obliquelyfrom the front;

[0021]FIG. 5B is a perspective view of a pair of eye subassemblies to bemounted on the mask assembly shown in FIG. 3, when viewed obliquely fromthe rear;

[0022]FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the pair of eyesubassemblies shown in FIG. 3;

[0023]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the legs shown in FIG.2;

[0024]FIG. 8A is a cross sectional view showing an assembled state oflegs shown in FIG. 2;

[0025]FIG. 8B is a cross sectional view taken along the line 8B-8B inFIG. 8A.

[0026]FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the skin shown in FIG.11

[0027]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fixture mounted on the skinshown in FIG. 9;

[0028]FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view showing a state in which thefixture shown in FIG. 10 is attached on the casing of the body portion;and

[0029]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the catrobot of the invention, showing a state in which the skin is broken atthe back portion and the pad is removed, showing the robot body throughthe skin.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Referring now to the drawings, embodiments of the presentinvention will be described.

[0031]FIG. 1 is a cat robot provided with an skin application structureaccording to the invention. The skin application structure of theinvention is not limited to the cat shape, and it is also applicable torobots in the shape of animals such as fox, dog, or bird, in the shapeof plants such as gourd or apple, in the shape of insect such ascaterpillar, in the shape of tentacles such as those of octopus orsquid, or of fictional characters.

[0032] The robot shown in FIG. 1 includes a robot body 1 and a skin 2.The robot body 1 includes a body portion 3, a head portion 4, a pair offront leg portions 5, a pair of hind leg portions 6, and a tail portion7. The body portion 3 includes a drive unit for driving the head portion4, the pair of front leg portions 5, the pair of hind leg portions 6,and the tail portion 7, a control unit for controlling the drive unit,and a battery for supplying power to the drive unit and the control unitbuilt therein. The body portion 3 is covered by the casing 8 ofsynthetic resin as shown in FIG. 2, and the casing 8 forms the outersurface of the body of a cat. The casing 8 is formed with five retainingholes 9 in which the fixtures 65, which will be described later, of theskin 2 are secured at the front, rear, left, right and at the bellyportion of the casing.

[0033] The head portion 4 includes a mask assembly 10 forming theforehead and face, and a base assembly 11 forming the back of the head.The mask assembly 10 is, as shown in FIG. 3, adapted to be separablyjoined to the base assembly 11 with a screw 12. The mask assembly 10 isconstructed by mounting a pair of ears 14, a pair of eye subassemblies15, and a lower jaw 16 on a casing 13 forming the outer surface of theforehead and the face.

[0034] The pair of ears 14 are, as shown in FIG. 4, mounted on thecasing 13 so as to be rotatable about the connecting shaft 17 byapproximately 90 degrees, so that the ears can be moved between theforwardly inclined standing position and the lying position by rotatingthe connecting shaft 17.

[0035] The pair of eye subassemblies 15 includes, as shown in FIG. 5 andFIG. 6, a pair of square frames 19 connected by the connecting shaft 18.The connecting shaft 18 is fixed with levers 20 on both ends. An eyeball21 is fixedly mounted on each frame 19 via a base 22, and upper andlower eyelids 23 a, 23 b for opening and closing the eyeball 21 arerotatably mounted on the base 22 on both sides thereof with a shaft 24.The upper and lower eyelids 23 a, 23 b are formed with a pair ofprojections 25. A sliding shaft 26 extending in the fore-and-aftdirection is provided between the base 22 and the frame 19 of eacheyeball 21 and a T-shaped sliding member 27 is slidably supported on thesliding shaft 26. The sliding member 27 is formed with a projection 28,and the projection 28 is rotatably joined to the lever 20 of theconnecting shaft 18. The sliding member 27 is formed with elongatedholes 29 on both wings thereof, and the elongated holes 29 are connectedto the projections 25 on the upper and lower eyelids 23 a, 23 b via pinsthat are not shown in the figure.

[0036] The pair of eye subassemblies 15 is attached inside the casing 13in such a manner that the pair of eyeballs 21 and the upper and lowereyelids 23 a, 23 b are accommodated into eyeholes 30 formed on thecasing 13. When the connecting shaft 18 rotates, the lever 20 rotateswith the connecting shaft 18 as a single unit, and the sliding member 27slides on the sliding shaft 26 in the fore-and-aft direction.Consequently, the upper and lower eyelids 23 a, 23 b open and close.

[0037] The lower jaw 16 is, as shown in FIG. 4, rotatably mounted on thecasing 13 with a shaft 31, and rotates between the position away fromthe upper jaw 32 formed integrally with the casing 13 and the positionin the proximity of the upper jaw 32 to open and close the mouth. Thelower jaw 16 is formed with an engaging groove 33 on the lower surfacethereof.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, the base assembly 11 of the head portion 4includes a pair of ear driving units 34, a pair of eye driving units 35,and a lower jaw driving unit 36. When the base assembly 11 is joined tothe mask assembly 10, the pair of ear driving units 34 engage theconnecting shafts 17 (see FIG. 4) of the pair of ears 14 on the maskassembly 10 to rotate the connecting shafts 17 interlockingly, the pairof eye driving units 35 engage the connecting shafts 18 (see FIG. 5) ofthe pair of eye subassemblies 15 to rotate the connecting shafts 18interlockingly, and the lower jaw driving unit 36 engages the engaginggroove 33 (see FIG. 4) on the lower jaw 16 to swing the lower jaw 16interlockingly. The base assembly 11 is rotatable in the verticaldirection and in the lateral direction with respect to the body portion3 by means of a drive unit that is not shown.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of front leg portions 5 each includeupper arms 37 rotatably connected at the proximal end thereof to thebody portion 3, a front arm 38 rotatably connected to the distal end ofthe upper arm 37, and a foot 39 rotatably connected to the distal and ofthe front arm 38, so that a standing posture and a sitting posture areachieved. Likewise, the pair of hind legs 6 each includes an upper leg40 rotatably connected at the proximal end thereof to the body portion3, a lower leg 41 rotatably connected to the distal end of the upper leg40, and a foot 42 rotatable connected to the distal end of the lower leg41, so that a standing posture and a sitting posture are achieved.

[0040] The feet 39, 42 of the front legs 5 and hind legs 6 each includea base portion 43, a claw portion 44, and a pad 45. The base portion 43includes a fitting portion 46 of U-shaped cross section at the distalend thereof, and is formed with a square retaining hole 47 on the bottomsurface thereof. The claw portion 44 is formed of flexible material suchas rubber, and formed at the rear end thereof with a square fitting hole48 for receiving the fitting portion 46 of the base portion 43 as shownin FIG. 8. The claw portion 44 is formed at the bottom thereof with asquare hole 49 that aligns with the retaining hole 47 on the baseportion 43 when the fitting portion 46 of the base portion 43 is fittedin the fitting hole 48 of the claw portion 44. The pad 45 has anattachment shaft 50 of square cross section that is to be inserted intothe hole 49 of the claw portion 44 and the retaining hole 47 of the baseportion 43 with the fitting portion 46 of the base portion 43 fittedinto the fitting hole 48 of the claw portion 44. The attachment shaft 50is provided with lateral resiliency in the direction perpendicular tothe shaft by means of a slit 51 formed on the tip thereof. The tip ofthe attachment shaft 50 is formed with claws 52 to be retained in theretaining hole 47 on the base portion.

[0041] The tail portion 7 has flexible construction, and is attached atthe proximal end to the back of the body portion 3, and is adapted to bewagged in the vertical and lateral directions by pulling three wires,not shown, inserted through the inside as needed.

[0042] On the other hand, the skin 2 includes, as shown in FIG. 9, abody skin 61 that is produced so as to cover the body portion 3, thepair of front leg portions 5, the pair of hind leg portions 6, and thetail portion 7 of the robot body 1 in advance, and a head skin 62 thatis produced for covering the head portion 4 in advance. Though the skin2 is formed of artificial fur in this embodiment, it is not limitedthereto, and cloth fabric, natural fur, sponge, elastomer or otherflexible materials can be applied.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 9, the body skin 61 includes an opening 63 atthe neck portion, and an opening 64 that is openable and closable byVelcro fastener or the like at the position corresponding to the bellyof the body portion 3, so that it can be applied to and detached fromthe body portion 3, the pair of front leg portions 5, the pair of hindleg portions 6, and the tail portion 7 of the robot body 1 through theopening 64. The opening 64 may also be opened and closed when batteriesstored in the body portion are exchanged.

[0044] The portions of the body skin 61 corresponding to the movableportions of the robot body 1, (that is, the skin corresponding to thejoint portions of the neck portion), the pair of front leg portions 5,the pair of hind leg portions 6, and the tail portion 7 are formed ofskin which is elastic in the direction of movement, while the portionscorresponding to the immovable portions, (that is, the portions otherthan the above described movable portions) are formed of nonelasticskin. The elasticity of the skin 2 may be achieved by employing materialincluding elastic fiber for at least one of warp and weft thatconstitute the skin 2.

[0045] The claw portion 44 is fixed in advance by adhesion or sewing onthe portion of the inner surface of the body skin 61 corresponding tothe claw portions 44 of the pair of front legs 5 and the pair of hindlegs 6.

[0046] Fixtures 65 are attached on the inner surface of the body skin61, and more specifically, at the positions corresponding to theretaining holes 9 formed on the body portion 3 of the robot body 1 atthe left, right, front, rear, and at the belly of the casing 8. Thefixture 65 includes a head portion 66, and a pair of resilient legportions 67 as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. The head portion 66 isformed with a hole 69 through which a prescribed length of thread 68 ispassed. The pair of leg portions 67 each has a claw 70 to be engaged theinner edge of the retaining hole 9. The fixture 65 is attached so as tostay away from the inner surface of the body skin 61 by a prescribeddistance via the thread 68 passed through the hole 69 of the headportion 66.

[0047] The head skin 62 includes, as shown in FIG. 9, an opening 71 forthe neck and a slit 72 formed from the opening 71 to the back of thehead. It is adapted to cover the pair of ears 14, the forehead, theface, and the lower jaw 16 of the mask assembly 10 of the head portion4, and cover the back of the head of the base assembly 11. It is formedwith holes 73 at the positions corresponding to the pair of eyeballs 21.As shown in FIG. 1, it includes a nose tip 74 attached at the positioncorresponding to the nose, whiskers 75 attached at the positiondownwardly of the nose on both sides, and a mouthpiece 76 havingimitation teeth, a tongue, and the surface of the mouth cavity attachedbetween the upper jaw 32 and the lower jaw 16. The face has a coat offur similar to a real cat and trimmed as needed.

[0048] The face has a good coat of fur as a real cat and trimmed asneeded—

[0049] The portions of the head skin 62 corresponding to the movableportions of the mask assembly 10, (that is, the bases of the pair ofears 14, the upper and lower eyelids 32 a, 32 b, and the base of thelower jaw 16) are formed of elastic skin, and the portions correspondingto the immovable portions are formed of nonelastic skin. Elasticity ofthe skin may be achieved by employing material including elastic fiber:for at least one of warp and weft that constitutes the skin.

[0050] The head skin 62 is applied on the mask assembly 10 of the headportion 4 of the robot body 1 in advance. The edges of the holes 73 onthe head skin 62 corresponding to the pair of eyeballs are fixed on theupper and lower eyelids 23 a, 23 b and the portion corresponding to thelower jaw 16 is fixed to the lower jaw 16 in advance by adhesion orsewing.

[0051] A method of applying the skin 2 constructed as described above onthe robot body 1 will now be described.

[0052] In a first place, in a state in which the pair of front legportions 5 and the pair of hind leg portions 6 of the robot body 1 arebent and the tail portion 7 is bent at the base and laid along the bodyportion 3, the opening 64 of the body skin 61 is opened and the robotbody 1 is put inside through the opening 64, while the base assembly 11of the head portion 4 is exposed from the opening 63, and the pair offront leg portions 5, the pair of hind leg portions 6, and the tailportion 7 are fitted as appropriate. Subsequently, the pair of front legportions 5 and the pair of hind leg portions 6 of the robot body 1 arestraightened and inserted into the corresponding portions, and then thefitting portions 46 of the base portions 43 at the tips thereof arefitted into the fitting holes 48 of the claw portions 44and pad portions45 that are fitted together and then adhered on the inner surface of thebody skin 61 in advance. Then, the tail portion 7 of the robot body 1 isstraightened and inserted into the corresponding portion. Subsequently,the fixtures 65 on the inner surface of the body skin 61 are insertedand secured in the retaining hole 9 on the body portion 3 as shown inFIG. 11. Further, the attachment shaft 50 of the pad 45 is inserted intothe square hole 49 of the claw portion 44 and the retaining hole 47 ofthe base portion 43 fitted with each other from the outside of the bodyskin 61 and secured in the retaining hole 47 of the base portion 43.This prevents the claw portion 44 from being detached from the baseportion 43.

[0053] Subsequently, the opening 71 and the slit 72 of the head skin 62having a mask assembly 10 attached on the inner surface are opened, andapplied on the base assembly 11 of the head portion 4. At this time, themask assembly 10 is pressed against the base assembly 11 to join witheach other with the lower jaw 16 of the mask assembly 10 being closed,and fixed with a screw 12. This allows the connecting shafts 17 of thepair of ears 14, the connecting shaft 18 of the pair of eyesubassemblies 15, and the engaging groove 33 of the lower jaw 16 of themask assembly 10 to be joined to the base assembly 11 having the eardriving unit 34, the eye driving unit 35, and the lower jaw driving unit36, which respective drive units allow the pair of ears, the pair of eyesubassemblies and the lower jaw to be driven/moved.

[0054] As a next step, the slit 72 at the neck portion of the head skin62 is stitched together, and the opening 71 at the neck portion of thehead skin 62 and the opening 63 of the neck portion of the body skin 61are stitched together. This allows the head skin 62 and the body skin 61to be completely applied on the robot body 1.

[0055] In this manner, the invention as exemplified by the cat robot,with the skin 2 applied on the surface of the casings 8, 13 of the robotbody 1, gives the user a sense of closeness and warmth, in comparisonwith the robot of the related art which exposes the casing or themechanical elements, and further it does not cause damage to thesurrounding environment even when it falls down or runs into somethingaround. Further, since the skin 2 has flexibility, it does not exert toomuch load to the movable portion of the robot body 1, which preventsreduction of the driving force. Especially since the skin 2 of themovable portion has elasticity, a load applied on the movable portionmay be further reduced. In addition, the body skin 61 is allowed to moveby a prescribed extent with respect to the casing 8 of the robot body 1by means of thread 68 of the fixtures 65 as shown in FIG. 11, the usercan pinch only the skin or grab it by the neck as if it is a real cat.

[0056] With the invention as exemplified by the cat robot, since theclaw portions 44 are fixed on the inner surface of the body skin 61 inadvance, and the mask assembly 10 is fixed on the inner surface of thehead skin 62 in advance, displacement of the skins 61, 62 can beprevented.

[0057] Further, each movable portion of the mask assembly 10, that is,the pair of ears 14, the upper and lower eyelids 23 a, 23 b, and thelower jaw 16 are adhered to the head skin 62 in mutual close proximity,and they are interlocked with the respective driving units 34, 35, 36 ofthe base assembly 11, the power of the driving units 34, 35, 36 arereliably transmitted to the respective movable portions, and thus therobot with the skin 62 thus attached can be moved as if it is real.

[0058] In order to remove the skin 2 from the robot body 1, the pads 45are disconnected, the base portions 43 are disconnected from the clawportions 44, the pair of front legs 5, the pair of hind legs 6, and thetail portion 7 are drawn out from the skin, and detach the fixtures 65to expose the body portion 3. In this state, the screw 12 at the neckportion is removed, and the mask assembly 10 is separated from the baseassembly 11 to remove the skin 2 from the robot body 1. The process ofremoving the skin 2 described above is reversed. In this manner, theskin 2 can be applied and removed easily so that exchange of battery ormaintenance can be performed occasionally.

[0059]FIG. 12 shows a case in which an elastic pad 77 is adhered on thesurface of the back portion of the casing 8 of the robot body 1 withdouble-faced tape 78, and the skin 2 is applied to the pad 77. Thisarrangement gives roundness and elasticity on the skin 2, thus morelifelike feeling to the shape of the cat's limbs is achieved, andpleasant touch for rubbing or hugging is realized. it is also possibleto apply the same type of pad on the portions that are liable to betouched by the user, for example, the pair of ears 14, the forehead, theface, and the lower jaw 16 of the mask assembly 10, the belly portion ofthe body portion 3, the pair of front legs 5, and the pair of hind legs6. The types or physical conditions of the cat may easily be changed bychanging the pad's size for each robot.

[0060] As is clear from the description above, according to the presentinvention, since the skin is applied on the surface of the casing of therobot body having movable portions and immovable portions, the casingand the mechanical elements are covered, and thus it gives a sense ofcloseness and warmth to humans, especially to women and aged persons,and in addition, it does not cause damage to the surroundingenvironment. Since the skin is detachably applied, it can be removedfrom the casing for maintenance, and thus maintenance service can easilybe performed occasionally. In addition, since the skin has flexibility,it does not exert too much load on the movable portions, which preventsreduction of the driving force.

What is claimed is:
 1. A skin application structure for robotscomprising: a robot body including a casing, a moveable portion and animmovable portion; and a flexible skin, which is detachably applied to asurface of the casing of the robot body.
 2. The skin applicationstructure for robots according to claim 1, wherein the flexible skin isformed of material selected from a group consisting of cloth fabric,natural fur, artificial fur, sponge and elastomer.
 3. The skinapplication structure for robots according to claim 1, wherein elasticflexible skin is applied to the movable portion of the robot body andnon-elastic flexible skin is applied to the immovable portion of therobot body.
 4. The skin application structure for robots according toclaim 2, wherein elastic flexible skin is applied to the movable portionof the robot body and non-elastic flexible skin is applied to theimmovable portion of the robot body.
 5. The skin application structurefor robots according to claim 1, wherein said movable portion of saidrobot body further comprises separable members rotatably joined to eachother.
 6. The skin application structure for robots according to claim5, further comprising a plurality of separable member connectingmechanisms for rotatably joining said separable members together to formsaid movable portion, said separable members being joined to form saidmovable portion prior to insertion of said movable portion into saidflexible skin.
 7. The skin application structure for robots according toclaim 1, wherein said movable portion further comprises a driveconnecting mechanism, said immovable portion further comprises a drivingportion for driving said movable portion, said driving portion beinghoused within said casing of said robot body, said driving portion beingjoined to said movable portion via said drive connecting mechanism. 8.The skin application structure for robots according to claim 1, whereina fixture is attached on the inner surface of the flexible skin with aflexible thread member of a prescribed length so that the fixture can besecured in a corresponding retaining hole on the casing when theflexible skin is applied to the casing of the robot body.
 9. The skinapplication structure for robots according to claim 1, furthercomprising an elastic pad adhered to the surface of the casing, furtherwherein the flexible skin is applied to said elastic pad.
 10. A robothaving a skin application structure comprising: a body including acasing, a movable portion and an immovable portion; and a flexible skin,which is detachably applied to a surface of the casing of the body. 11.The robot according to claim 10, wherein the flexible skin is formed ofmaterial selected from a group consisting of cloth fabric, natural fur,artificial fur, sponge and elastomer.
 12. The robot according to claim10, wherein elastic flexible skin is applied to the movable portion ofthe body and non-elastic flexible skin is applied to the immovableportion of the body.
 13. The robot according to claim 10, whereinelastic flexible skin is applied to the movable portion of the body andnon-elastic flexible skin is applied to the immovable portion of thebody.
 14. The robot according to claim 10, wherein said movable portionof said robot body further comprises separable members rotatably joinedto each other.
 15. The robot according to claim 14, further comprising aplurality of separable member connecting mechanisms for rotatablyjoining said separable members together to form said movable portion,said separable members being joined to form said movable portion priorto insertion of said movable portion into said flexible skin.
 16. Therobot according to claim 10, wherein said movable portion furthercomprises a drive connecting mechanism, said immovable portion furthercomprises a driving portion for driving said movable portion, saiddriving portion being housed within said casing of said robot body, saiddriving portion being joined to said movable portion via said driveconnecting mechanism.
 17. The robot according to claim 10, wherein afixture is attached on the inner surface of the flexible skin with aflexible thread member of a prescribed length so that the fixture can besecured in a corresponding retaining hole on the casing when theflexible skin is applied to the casing of the body.
 18. The robotaccording to claim 10, wherein an elastic pad is adhered on the surfaceof the casing and the flexible skin is applied to the elastic pad.
 19. Amethod for assembling a robot and applying a flexible skin to the robotcomprising the steps of: assembling a flexible robot body skin, whereinsaid flexible robot body skin is created by joining non-elastic flexibleskin for covering immovable robot body portions to elastic flexible skinfor covering movable robot body portions, said flexible robot body skinbeing fitted with retaining fixtures adhered to an inner surface of saidflexible robot body skin; assembling a flexible robot head skin, whereinsaid flexible robot head skin comprises elastic flexible skin;assembling a robot body having immovable portions and movable portionsand including driving portions for driving movable portions of saidrobot body, said robot body being covered with a casing, said casinghaving a plurality of retaining holes; inserting said robot body intosaid flexible robot body skin through an opening in said flexible robotbody skin; fitting any limbs and appendages into said flexible robotbody skin; removably securing said retaining fixtures into saidretaining holes; assembling a movable head portion; joining said movablehead portion to said flexible robot head skin; removably securing saidmovable robot head portion to said robot body; removably securing saidflexible robot body skin to said flexible robot head skin; and removablysealing said opening.
 20. The method according to claim 19, furthercomprising the step of attaching an elastic pad to said casing of saidrobot body prior to inserting said robot body into said flexible robotbody skin.